The latest chapter in this saga has the Youtube app being pulled from the Windows Phone Store and news of a collaboration between Microsoft and Google for a solution.

According to YouTube communications manager Matt McLernon,

"Microsoft and YouTube are working together to update the new YouTube for Windows Phone app to enable compliance with YouTube's API terms of service, including enabling ads, in the coming weeks."

Part of the arrangement has the current YouTube app being pulled and replaced with the previous version of the app until a "compliant" version is developed. As far as the when is concerned on the release of a new version of the app, Microsoft wouldn't expand beyond "in coming weeks".

Microsoft holds patents on SMS. You cannot do SMS in a phone with out paying Microsoft. Google passes the buck on this and lets the phone makers pay for the licensing on this. If microsoft wants to be mean and really stick it to Google then they only have to not renew the licensing deals with every phone maker out there. Right now only Apple and Motorola do not pay. Apple does not pay due to a cross licensing deal the made with Microsoft a long time ago. Motorola Mobility does not pay and is in violation of Microsofts patents. Microsoft has dragged them into court several times and Motorola has lost. I believe there is a standing injunction in Germany right now that bans the sale of Motorola Android phones. Microsoft also holds patents relating software keyboards...

I say turn off SMS and software keyboards for every android phone and watch the world grind to a halt.

If Microsoft really wanted to bend Google over, they'd put a built-in ad blocker in the next version of IE, and prompt users to turn it on in the setup wizard. Take a massive bite out of Google's revenue. It would also be the end of the (free) Internet, but hey... ;)

Microsoft would most likely end up being order by a court that thy have to licence out the SMS patents. It's what happens everytime a company tries to hold out licencing a technology that is considered required. Just look at the recent motorolla/microsoft disputes.

Possibly in Europe if it is a FRAND patent. In the US, there's nothing stopping Microsoft from withholding the use of their patents. Microsoft doesn't really seem as concerned about growing market share as they do about growing profits (after all, they are a public company). That being said, I think they'd rather have every Android OEM paying their fair share and just let Windows Phone languish in <10% market share unless the market chooses to being adopting it more rapidly.

Microsoft should block google search on its Windows PCs, block you tube, block Gmail email, block chrome, etc. Say Google does not play nice with Windows Phone, we deserve the right to block your sh*t. :p

Yeah, the only problem is that users that have been on Gmail far longer than Windows Phones will be screwed.

It wouldn't be fair to those users.

It's plain childish to do so and it would be on par with what google wants, which is exactly blocking services to those who own WP and would benefit google only.
It's obvious that many users want to continue using Gmail and for WP to defy Google's attempt to shut down that link will send out the massage to google that they need to play fair with their Gmail users.

Google hates WP because MS will not allow their users to be spied upon through email ad targeting.

micro soft should remove skype from bugdroids and say "we are currenty having some server problem of the resaon we cant provide skype access to current android user sorrey for inconviniency please try again later"
this yould keep google silence after all people cant live a second without skype. OR else talking about add MS should flood skype free user with and give excuse its just for money...

Will drive me crazy to see "2" there. I have a stuck update for MetroTalk that refuses to install. It would be nice to have the option of actually cancelling the download and having the stupid notification go away.

Youtube and main google browser on laptop and desktop are the only google services i use. I'm finding that nokia and microsoft, because they're not wedded to advertising and targeting adds, they provide much better services with things like maps because they don't do things to force you to stay on the internet.

I don't know where "here" is. When in Europe I could not download apps over WiFi because my carrier did not have coverage there as they are a U.S. Company. So for tamas305 he probably could not download the app while he was in Europe.

And keep in mind that google always presented themselves as "do no evil". It's times like this that we see that they believe in do no evil unless there is a profit to be made. I never trusted google. It always irritated me how they make a huge profit just by tracking what I do in the internet.

I thought something weird was up. I went to a Verizon store (with my Lumia 920 in tow...sold my first 928 today, and I'm really proud) and when I tried to show a customer the youtube app on the 928 it wasn't there in the WP store. So I showed them MetroTube and myTube (and the YouTube app) on my phone. It all makes sense now.

Check the previous article on YouTube which was published few days ago when MSFT released an update that disabled downloads. Somebody in the comments section provided a link to the xap that had the download feature.

I somehow doubt the xap will help, particularly with that version of the app removed from the marketplace. The xap is mainly to just bypass downloading over the device, but still checks the marketplace to ensure the xap is valid and matching what's for download.

I really hate Google, and this whole saga doesn't help with that. One could argue that MS played dirty here, but in the end what they did is resulting in something good for mutual customers of both parties. Something that Google could learn to do.

Good thing? I'm skeptical. Google has been dragging their feet and stalling MS at every opportunity. They may have said, "Okay, we'll talk if you remove the app" and will proceed to EXTREMELY SLOWLY iron out a deal that wouldn't materialize until next year.

Or they could wait several months and say, "Nah, we don't accept the terms, go away. We're suing the moment you put back up an app without ads. No API for you!"

Well what exactly Google could sue them over is debatable. Just cause a company sends a C&D doesn't mean there is any legality to it. No, MS took down the YouTube app because they believe (finally) that Google is willing to work with them on it, not cause they were worried about a supposed lawsuit.
This was obviously the plan all along.
As for why i would want other Google services after all this, well i live in the real world. A lot of people use a wide range of Google services, and the more of those services on WP, the easier it will be to convince others to switch. It's good for the platform.

Reports from Tom Warren say this is going to suck now. Its going to be basically a webapp. IF thats true, screw google. I for one, find the app as is to be excellent. Its evey way better than t he app i have on Android.

Yes, this is the part that I wanted to clarify and read since Tom's article was updated. So, the old app is going be put back in the store, and the new version is not going to be as robust as the one being pulled from the store. If so, then it looks as though perhaps this isn't quite the victory that some users were hoping for.

MS tends to restrict their content, services and products to very little regions, while Google delivers worldwide.
Oh, an MS very often cares more about other platforms than Windows Phone. They are really not that much better than Google in this regard.

I'll be happy if the new app is as good but incase its not i would have loved Microsoft fighting this. Would've loved Microsoft to be stubborn and not pull it down, even if google blocked access for the app somehow. To die fighting than compromise :)

Its two things, the principle of it is the most important thing. Google wont allow it because they are trying to discourage competition and damage windows phone. That alone means its worth the column inches.

Secondly its the whole "officialness" of it. MS cant advertise they have a youtube client. Because technically they don't, they have illegal pieceses of software that were made by a third party to wantonly dismiss googles terms of use. As awesome as they may be, they arnt something MS can advertise

Nope. This is a win. The best version of the YouTube app wasn't as good as MetroTube or MyTube is now. Get those if you want a solid app. This was about WP fighting to stop the cold shoulders. Hopefully this means Google shows a little more cooperation and practices what Larry Page preaches. Same to be expected from MS.

This is kind of a win. Those Android fanboys are stubborn folk. I showed my friend this article to show how the story was unfolding and he says "well duh, what did Microsoft think? They could just skirt around the terms and conditions? What were they expecting? They are just a huge company trying to workaround the rules". I almost slapped him because obviously he doesn't get the Catch 22 Google threw MS into with this application. But then I thought..."you're unreachable" and sipped my beer in silence.

the only thing that will be better of having the official app is if MS updates the OS to open every Youtube video on their app. currently there is no default Youtube player, so if you click any link for a youtube video it will just open on the m.youtube wesite, thats one thing android is better as you can set default apps.

Well...I wouldn't even bother if I were Microsoft. Google will do anything to provide a f*cking sh*tty WP App and Microsoft, apparently, will not have the balls to say no.
We'll have, again, a terrible official YouTube App to make everyone waste their time. I'll stick to MetroTube, thanks.

Apparently Daniel spoke too soo about Microsoft's "starting to throw their weight around and even take a few legal challenges on the chin in order to gain marketplace traction."

Agree. Sounds like the app will be like the original only WITH ads. Doesn't sound a great experience. I wonder if the iOS or Android versions have ads? If not, then WP users are definitely being penalized.

Why don't we wait and see, maybe Google & Microsoft will work together and produce a good app in "the coming weeks" as suggested. I think Microsoft has invested too much into this particular issue to let it return to a mobile web link.